The Home of Fire Blog

Wood, electric and gas heating have their own unique benefits. Wood heating has charm and presence, electric heating could be free if you’re solar ...

For most of us, buying heating for our home would rarely be an impulse buy. It’s something we’d research and most likely take professional advice. Generally speaking, we’re comfortable browsing an appliance store for simple, instant heating. An electric oil heater for the kid’s bedroom or an electric bar heater for the bathroom are, by and large, devices we can plug n play – no rocket science required. However, should you have your heart set on a flame heater, be it gas, electric or wood, there are a few critical points to consider. The most important of which is can you actually install it.

If ever there was a time to seek advice from a home heating expert, it's on the question of efficient heating. The question isn't which heater is the most efficient. It should always be which heater is the most efficient heater for my needs! The "…for my needs" bit is critical as heating is not a one size fits all proposition - your circumstances will be unique. What may be efficient for one person is far from efficient for another. Efficiency is subjective because geography/location, home design and lifestyle play a determining role relative to heating efficiency.  

You may have heard rumours that wood fire heating is banned will be banned, or is banned in some places, or might be banned somewhere...Well, it isn’t. Despite the attempts of a few to relegate wood heating to history, common sense has prevailed and now is a great time to select natural wood fire for warmth, beauty, and heating efficiency in your home. 

If you have your heart set on a new wood fire, electric or gas fireplace for inside or out, now is the time to act to ensure installation is completed before the mercury begins to drop. For some locations, the need for heating is merely weeks away. 

Some of the more senior members of our families will recall a childhood where heating in the home was a warm rug in front of an open wood fire. A romantic notion now, historically, it was often the only option. The tradition was enduring, with the open fireplace remaining a standard inclusion in new homes as late as the 1960s.